Britain needs more competition to get the railways back on track February 6, 2019 When the word “privatisation” is mentioned in the same sentence as “rail”, even some Tories feel a spurt of red go through them. At the forefront of their minds must be the fact that the broader public – about 56 per cent – have expressed support for nationalisation. But when asked why it is that people [...]
DEBATE: Could the internet of things be the answer to the social care crisis? February 6, 2019 Could the internet of things be the answer to the social care crisis? Emanuele Angelidis, chief executive of IoT investor Breed Reply, says YES. With more and more people forced to look after loved ones, the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) can help alleviate the social care issues raised by an ageing population. For a [...]
Three ways to start fixing audit now February 6, 2019 We are living through a pivotal time in the history of audit. Last December saw the release of Sir John Kingman’s report into the operation of the Financial Reporting Council and the preliminary findings of the market study by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). This year we are seeing the Business, Energy and Industrial [...]
What’s the point of economists? Look to America’s tech giants to find out February 6, 2019 Despite the dire predictions from the economics profession about Brexit, the UK economy is doing well. Growth continues at a steady pace. An all-time record 32.4m people are in work. Unemployment has fallen to levels not seen since the mid-1970s. In contrast, the Eurozone is on the brink of recession – and Italy is already [...]
Trevor Steven: Everton are the Premier League’s most inconsistent team but I’d give manager Marco Silva more time February 5, 2019 Whenever Everton have taken a step forward this season, it has been followed by a step back. They have a little burst of form but then slip up. Unable to get enough people playing well at the same time often enough, they feel like the Premier League’s most inconsistent team. This campaign has been littered [...]
Every day, we vote with our clicks that we value Facebook February 5, 2019 With front-page headlines including “Facebook paid kids and spied on them”, “Generation of web addicts”, “Wild West Web firms facing ban”, and “Stop online giants who help kill our kids”, it’s fair to say that it has not been the best UK press week for social media firms. Poor old Nick Clegg must have thought that [...]
Stop the inter-city infighting – London can lead a network of UK urban centres February 5, 2019 There’s no more money in the pot. Tightening local budgets have poured fuel over already heated debates on London’s role as a capital, with most Brits now believing that the city gets more than its fair share of public spending. Badly-timed or seemingly imbalanced funding announcements that appear to give major new transport projects in London [...]
DEBATE: Is Brexit likely to be the biggest factor behind Nissan choosing Japan over Sunderland? February 5, 2019 Bridget Phillipson, Labour MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, says YES. Is Brexit likely to be the biggest factor behind Nissan choosing Japan over Sunderland? Nissan’s announcement was deeply disappointing, not just for Sunderland but for the north east as a whole. And it shows the reality of Brexit. Carmakers do not make these decisions [...]
The trade war in your head? A look behind the US-China feud February 5, 2019 As the US-China talks resume this week, the spectre of global trade disintegration on looms ever larger. There is one month for Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to strike a deal before the 90-day ceasefire in tit-for-tat rhetoric expires. At stake is $200bn of Chinese exports to the US, which will otherwise see tariffs rise [...]
China’s success among western firms will depend on the desirability of the brand February 5, 2019 Not a week goes by when there isn’t a data print-out of China posting the weakest number since… well pick a year. Last Friday, for example, the Caixin manufacturing survey posted a second consecutive month of contraction and the lowest reading since 2016. The slowdown has triggered a set of 2019 growth downgrades from the analyst [...]